Analysis: Beginning Of The End Of Thaksin?

[Heng]

my main response is - if the previous government was so great, why did they get voted out of office?

as for "everything" being done by the "previous" administration, the projects could have been canceled by the new, and since they DID get completed by the thaksin administration, he should get credit for it.

if I were to start work on building a boat, and then, stopped. ...then, another person comes in to complete construction. should I get credit for the boat or the guy who completed it?

let's look at it another way....

I enter a foot race, and after a few steps, I fall down and can't continue. my buddy, thaksin, comes in and offers to complete the race for me. he runs and is fortunate to complete the race with no injuries to himself. who should get credit for completing the race?

the guy who didn't even work up a sweat, or the guy who did?

For the whingers, it's the guy passed out because he shouldn't have been in politics in the first place. He was voted out, plain and simple.

Thaksin was voted in twice. If he goes for a third term, I suspect the margin of victory may be even greater.

[ColPyat]

I don't know what caused the previous government to not get reelected, but if your prognosis is correct. ..and they are still NOT visible in the villiages like the TRT are.

why would you even consider them as an option to replace thaksin?

if they don't give a s##t enough about the villagers/people out there to spend the time to talk to them, why?

so, do you think they are going to do a better job than thaksin?

thaksin is the best man for the job no matter what his faults.

as for serious consequences, do you really think the country would be better off with the other guys?

most of the problems as I see it was not the fault of thaksin. he has no control over oil prices, guys like soros, or the situation with the poor which has been a problem for ages.

the fastest way out is not a change in government, it is with foreign investment.

it is working with china and india, and it can work here in thailand.

in less than 20 years (I was in china in 1985), china has progressed from a country that looked like cambodia now to their present state which is in many ways like the usa. incredible. ..mostly because of foreign investment.

look at the differences between north and south korea. it is like night and day.

I see you have still not taken the time to read the other threads, nor did you inform yourself any further.

There is a lot of things you appearantly do not know. Why then do you take sides?

To answer your question - being not visible in the villages and doing a better job in managing the country are somehwhat two different matters.

Just because TRT is visible in the village does not mean that he does a better job. For christ's sake - do i have to cut and paste my posts about his catastrophic large scale agricultural schemes so that you can take time to read them.

As to Soros, yes, there is a lot he has to do with him. Just look at the government which was at power at the time Soros was exploiting Thailand's weaknesses, and see where Thaksin was at the time. He was a deputy prime minister, i believe, of exactly that government.

Yes, i seriously think Thailand would be far better off with a government formed by the Democrats. So far, the times the Democrats formed the government, Thailand had the most stable times even with all the inherent faults of Thai politics.

Anyhow, that should be my last post to you here as long as you do not have the decency to stop repeating ad absurdum your uninformed blather, and ask questions that are already answered in threads that were pointed out to you several times by several posters.

Thank you.

Thaksin really hasn't done anything that bad.

Other than having several thousand Thais summarily executed within two months?

Changing laws so that his personal business almost quadriples in worth since the beginning of his tenure?

etc...

[sriracha john]

Of course foreigners can have an opinion but this, whether pro or con,should be exercised with discretion.We are guests in this country.Am I the only one sick and tired of this motley collection of frazzled old coots,visa runners and bar flies ranting and raving on this subject, usually in an uninformed and garbled manner?

Excuse me, but I am not a guest in this country. I do pay my way, and not just in paying more taxes than most Thais.

From what you say, you are certainly a guest in this country.Nobody is suggesting you have no right to express an opinion, merely that it be done with discretion.Ultimately the political direction of this country is a matter for the Thai people, not for you or for me.Nobody is suggesting you "shut up".

I am not sure what to make of your final sentence since it is so sloppily written.However by one interpretation -"some people in real life off the internet might react rather negative" -it seems to be threatening which could have you banned from the forum.I shall give you the benefit of the doubt on this occasion.

I'm glad you are so familar with TV rules, but you forgot two of them when you posted the first message above, so I'll repost them for you:

No flaming of fellow members!

Do not post inflammatory messages on the forum, or any attempt to disrupt discussions to upset its participants. The word, or its derivative, "trolling", is used to describe such messages or the act of posting them.

Thank you for your cooperation.

[penzman]

thaksin is the right man for the job right now because he is the one trying to do things.

many of the things may not be the right things, but then, he is trying.

many people don't even try. all they do is complain.

I read in the newspaper that the king and thaksin are inviting foreign folks over for visits. that's great news because that tells me they are trying to encourage foreign investments into the country.

if sondhi and guys like him really cared about the country, they should stop denouncing foreign investors and encourage them to come into the country.

at the same time, they should help thaksin promote education, and tackle other projects to improve the country.

I have yet to hear one positive thought from them. all they do is complain about thaksin. even I could do that. it doesn't take a genius to do that.

on the other hand, it takes guts and character to try to find solutions to problems.

some of you think thaksin is a dictator like hitler. my reply to that is - you wouldn't be alive if hitler heard you complaining about him back in the 30's.

why don't you go to some of those muslim countries and debate the cartoons with some of those guys, and see where you will end up. probably not too far, wouldn't you agree?

Are they actually denouncing foreign investors or people here who are selling to foreign investors?

[sriracha john]

More TRT backers 'set to change sides'

More and more people with close ties to the Thai Rak Thai party will follow Chamlong Srimuang and join the campaign to oust Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the Democrats predicted yesterday. Party spokesman Ong-art Klampaiboon said Maj-Gen Chamlong's decision to oppose Mr Thaksin was based on inside information which convinced him that he could no longer support Mr Thaksin as prime minister.

''Maj-Gen Chamlong still has a reputation as a person who fought for the public rather than himself,'' Mr Ong-art said. ''His decision must, at the least, have a political impact on the Thaksin administration because Maj-Gen Chamlong was an adviser to Mr Thaksin as well as his mentor, the man who invited the prime minister into politics.''

Mr Ong-art said Maj-Gen Chamlong was like many other well-qualified Thai Rak Thai founders who had decided to leave, such as former attorney-general Kanit na Nakorn, Theerapat Serirangsan of Sukhothai Thammathirat University, and Purachai Piumsombun, former interior and justice minister and a close friend of Mr Thaksin.

''Maj-Gen Chamlong must have realised that time is running out for Mr Thaksin as prime minister and I believe he will not be the last person with close ties to the government to come out in public against him,'' Mr Ong-art said.

Since the anti-Thaksin movement stepped up its campaign, the prime minister no longer spent time working for the country or solving the public's problems, but was just trying to keep his job. Mr Thaksin had been doing all he could to ease the pressure on him, such as meeting with university rectors to discuss constitutional amendments, solving the problems of some grassroots supporters including taxi drivers and staff of the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority, and proposing to raise the minimum wage, the Democrat spokesman said. The prime minister also interfered with the state media, getting them to show less news about the anti-Thaksin rallies and more about the prime minister's supporters, he said.

- BP

[haha]

thaksin is the right man for the job right now because he is the one trying to do things.

many of the things may not be the right things, but then, he is trying.

many people don't even try. all they do is complain.

I read in the newspaper that the king and thaksin are inviting foreign folks over for visits. that's great news because that tells me they are trying to encourage foreign investments into the country.

if sondhi and guys like him really cared about the country, they should stop denouncing foreign investors and encourage them to come into the country.

at the same time, they should help thaksin promote education, and tackle other projects to improve the country.

I have yet to hear one positive thought from them. all they do is complain about thaksin. even I could do that. it doesn't take a genius to do that.

on the other hand, it takes guts and character to try to find solutions to problems.

some of you think thaksin is a dictator like hitler. my reply to that is - you wouldn't be alive if hitler heard you complaining about him back in the 30's.

why don't you go to some of those muslim countries and debate the cartoons with some of those guys, and see where you will end up. probably not too far, wouldn't you agree?

Are they actually denouncing foreign investors or people here who are selling to foreign investors?

it seems to me the general sentiment is the same - they don't want foreign investors here.

[haha]

I don't know what caused the previous government to not get reelected, but if your prognosis is correct. ..and they are still NOT visible in the villiages like the TRT are.

why would you even consider them as an option to replace thaksin?

if they don't give a s##t enough about the villagers/people out there to spend the time to talk to them, why?

so, do you think they are going to do a better job than thaksin?

thaksin is the best man for the job no matter what his faults.

as for serious consequences, do you really think the country would be better off with the other guys?

most of the problems as I see it was not the fault of thaksin. he has no control over oil prices, guys like soros, or the situation with the poor which has been a problem for ages.

the fastest way out is not a change in government, it is with foreign investment.

it is working with china and india, and it can work here in thailand.

in less than 20 years (I was in china in 1985), china has progressed from a country that looked like cambodia now to their present state which is in many ways like the usa. incredible. ..mostly because of foreign investment.

look at the differences between north and south korea. it is like night and day.

I see you have still not taken the time to read the other threads, nor did you inform yourself any further.

There is a lot of things you appearantly do not know. Why then do you take sides?

To answer your question - being not visible in the villages and doing a better job in managing the country are somehwhat two different matters.

Just because TRT is visible in the village does not mean that he does a better job. For christ's sake - do i have to cut and paste my posts about his catastrophic large scale agricultural schemes so that you can take time to read them.

As to Soros, yes, there is a lot he has to do with him. Just look at the government which was at power at the time Soros was exploiting Thailand's weaknesses, and see where Thaksin was at the time. He was a deputy prime minister, i believe, of exactly that government.

Yes, i seriously think Thailand would be far better off with a government formed by the Democrats. So far, the times the Democrats formed the government, Thailand had the most stable times even with all the inherent faults of Thai politics.

Anyhow, that should be my last post to you here as long as you do not have the decency to stop repeating ad absurdum your uninformed blather, and ask questions that are already answered in threads that were pointed out to you several times by several posters.

Thank you.

Thaksin really hasn't done anything that bad.

Other than having several thousand Thais summarily executed within two months?

Changing laws so that his personal business almost quadriples in worth since the beginning of his tenure?

etc...

so what laws did he change?

as I see it, AIS didn't need any intervention for it to thrive, it was just public demand.

on the matter of several thousand Thais summarily executed within 2 months, refer to my posting in "Ample Rich" something.

on soros.... my guess is you would also blame thaksin for the tsunami, and the problems with the water shortage in the country. right?

on your opinion of the democratic party here. if they are so good, why don't I hear their party implementing anything beneficial to the country in the news? something like "the democrats are helping villagers discover ways to improve water conservation." or maybe "the democrats are working with TRT to find ways to solve the traffic problem in bangkok."

..all I hear about the democrats in the news here is their complaining about thaksin and the trt.

as I see it, if they truly wants to present themselves as an alternative to thaksin and the trt, they should be showing their contributions to the country in the form of deeds.

[sriracha john]

PM scurries to restore trust in joint session

The government will convene an extraordinary session of Parliament in response to the threat from veteran politician Chamlong Srimuang to bring a massive group of supporters to the next anti-Thaksin rally.

Government Spokesman Surapong Suebwonglee said yesterday the Cabinet agreed during a two-hour meeting at the residence of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra that it would ask the Parliament’s president to convene a special joint session of the two chambers.

The spokesman said the government would use the session to listen to the nation’s problems and address the crisis that has besieged the administration.

Surapong said Thaksin held a special Cabinet meeting last night to discuss the political situation.

“The Cabinet discussed the current situation as the government is under attack, causing inaccurate reports and misunderstanding among the public,” Surapong said.

“Some news has been distorted, so the Cabinet resolved to hold a special meeting.”

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said the public was being misled and the special session could find measures to re-establish trust with the electorate.

He said the Cabinet agreed that a special parliamentary session, to be held early next month, would be the solution.

Wissanu said the government had held special sessions to discuss the situation in the restive South.

A source at the meeting said the prime minister proposed holding the extraordinary session and shared his interpretation of the breakdown in his relationship with Chamlong.

The source said that Thaksin said Chamlong had always seen the premier as his inferior. In the past, Chamlong had asked for financial support many times. “Sometimes Thaksin refused and that might be the reason why Chamlong got angry,” they said.

The session is being called under Section 213 of the Constitution, which says a prime minister can call such a debate during a crisis, when comments from both chambers are required.

A source said yesterday’s announcement by Chamlong to join the anti-Thaksin movement had increased pressure on the prime minister.

Thaksin hoped the offer of a special session would stifle the growth of the movement against him, the source said.

All Cabinet members attended the meeting at Thaksin’s house, except Tourism and Sports Minister Pracha Maleenont.

Piyanart Srivalo

The Nation

[gurkle]

It is particularly ironic that so many farangs want their best chance of legal Thai residency ousted out of office.

Thaksin's personal interests are aligned with having foreign companies invest here because it would make him even richer than he is now (which is fine by me; I have no jealousy issues). For the Democrats that run the media companies, I'm not sure how foreign investment could help a local newspaper in any way.

[haha]

What was the last straw was when Thaksin violated the constitution by muffling Sondhi and suing him for ###### knows billions of baht. Right there he should have been impeached. Abuse of power.

my 2 cents..

freedom of speech is something I also believe in. but that does not mean I believe in slander.

if someone makes untrue accusations about someone without any evidence to back up their claims, that is slander. slander is lying.

the spirit of freedom of speech is the spread of "truth" - not "lies".

if sondhi said things about thaksin that were basically lies, then, he is guilty of slander. in the states, you can sue someone for doing that.

the freedom of speech does not give someone the right to tarnish another persons reputation through the use of lying.

on another thread in this forum, someone made a claim that quote, "thaksin changed the laws so that he could quadruple his weatlh."

I replied, "what laws did he change?" (we have yet to get an answer from the OP.)

this is a perfect example of slander.

if I was thaksin, and sondhi truly did try to slander him, I would have sued sondhi until he was broke.

[sriracha john]

What was the last straw was when Thaksin violated the constitution by muffling Sondhi and suing him for ###### knows billions of baht. Right there he should have been impeached. Abuse of power.

my 2 cents..

freedom of speech is something I also believe in. but that does not mean I believe in slander.

if someone makes untrue accusations about someone without any evidence to back up their claims, that is slander. slander is lying.

the spirit of freedom of speech is the spread of "truth" - not "lies".

if sondhi said things about thaksin that were basically lies, then, he is guilty of slander. in the states, you can sue someone for doing that.

the freedom of speech does not give someone the right to tarnish another persons reputation through the use of lying.

on another thread in this forum, someone made a claim that quote, "thaksin changed the laws so that he could quadruple his weatlh."

I replied, "what laws did he change?" (we have yet to get an answer from the OP.)

this is a perfect example of slander.

if I was thaksin, and sondhi truly did try to slander him, I would have sued sondhi until he was broke.

Then you likely would have been rebuked by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the same as the "real" Thaksin was :

The Nation

December 6 , 2005 - Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s legal team was planning yesterday to drop criminal and civil lawsuits against his staunch foe Sondhi Limthongkul following His Majesty the King’s advice, during his birthday address to the nation on Sunday, against using lawsuits to silence critics.

Thana Benjathikul, a lawyer for Thaksin, said yesterday he would call a meeting of his legal team and discuss dropping all suits filed against Sondhi.

Members of the legal team would propose to Thaksin that he either terminate all lawsuits against Sondhi or settle them out of court, to comply with the King’s advice.

“I have talked to my legal team and decided to withdraw the suits, but I have yet to discuss the matter with the prime minister,” Thana said. “However, we will eventually have to drop the lawsuits according to the King’s wishes.”

The key portion of the King’s address, followed closely by all Thais, advised the prime minister not to use lawsuits to silence his critics because such tactics could backfire.

“Lawyers teach the PM that whoever insults the King, we have to insult them back. This is not good,” His Majesty said in his address.

“Lawyers teach the PM, telling him to sue, to punish. This is how they teach the PM. Who said to punish? Do not punish them. Punishment is not good. Finally, it is not that the PM who is in trouble, the King is in trouble – or want to see the King in trouble, I do not know.... Lawyers should know what is right or wrong.”

Thaksin’s legal team had filed six criminal and civil suits demanding more than Bt2 billion in total from Sondhi and others.

[marshbags]

[

Conspiracy theory nonetheless.

You must be one of the people who belive that Chalerms boys always get off because they are just so nice...

...and that certain changes in the Thai telecommunication laws only incidently benefitted mainly Shin Corps, and that it never were intended so.

Your logic was unbeatable again, and you have me convinced - huge vested interests never attempt any conspiracy, and are altruistic by design.

I don't know what the scenario is with the thai telecommunications laws, but if the people here think it is unfair, then, why don't people vote to change them? all you need to do is get people involved to analyze what is wrong, and discuss it with other people. ..then, as simple as it may seem, get your politicians to change the law.

isn't that the way it is suppose to work? quote........................... ended

Anyone who is familiar with Thailand knows you are not living in the real world when you make a statement like that.

Let,s be sensible out there.

Another observation i,d like to offer to you.

By calling / likening the Kamoy in chief to a dictator to the likes hitler is only providing him and his supporters with a get out clause, excuse.

They,ll say oh well he is / was insane and didn,t know what he was doing, and his actions are "honest mistakes."

He is sane and conniving and knows exactly what he is doing.

Also. unscrupulous, uncaring, phoney and evil, just to mention a few deserving abjectives which his cronies also have of course.

And let us not forget the thousands of ordinary Thais executed, disposed of and incarcerated in his interpretation of justice and cleansing of society, providing you are not puyai of course then you do not fit into this area and are respectable citizens ??????????????????????????

But then again this is only my humble opinion as always.

marshbags

Edited February 20, 2006 by marshbags

[Cassandra]

Of course foreigners can have an opinion but this, whether pro or con,should be exercised with discretion.We are guests in this country.Am I the only one sick and tired of this motley collection of frazzled old coots,visa runners and bar flies ranting and raving on this subject, usually in an uninformed and garbled manner?

Excuse me, but I am not a guest in this country. I do pay my way, and not just in paying more taxes than most Thais.

From what you say, you are certainly a guest in this country.Nobody is suggesting you have no right to express an opinion, merely that it be done with discretion.Ultimately the political direction of this country is a matter for the Thai people, not for you or for me.Nobody is suggesting you "shut up".

I am not sure what to make of your final sentence since it is so sloppily written.However by one interpretation -"some people in real life off the internet might react rather negative" -it seems to be threatening which could have you banned from the forum.I shall give you the benefit of the doubt on this occasion.

I'm glad you are so familar with TV rules, but you forgot two of them when you posted the first message above, so I'll repost them for you:

No flaming of fellow members!

Do not post inflammatory messages on the forum, or any attempt to disrupt discussions to upset its participants. The word, or its derivative, "trolling", is used to describe such messages or the act of posting them.

Thank you for your cooperation.

I will leave it to others to determine who was flaming or trolling.Certainly there was no intent on my part as a careful study of my posts would confirm.You seem to have reacted strongly (let's take a wild guess why!!) to my use of the admittedly colourful expression "visa runners, barflies and frazzled old coots".This is a fairly accurate description of a vocal and I think minority section of this forum but I will be more circumspect next time.

[sriracha john]

Of course foreigners can have an opinion but this, whether pro or con,should be exercised with discretion.We are guests in this country.Am I the only one sick and tired of this motley collection of frazzled old coots,visa runners and bar flies ranting and raving on this subject, usually in an uninformed and garbled manner?

Excuse me, but I am not a guest in this country. I do pay my way, and not just in paying more taxes than most Thais.

From what you say, you are certainly a guest in this country.Nobody is suggesting you have no right to express an opinion, merely that it be done with discretion.Ultimately the political direction of this country is a matter for the Thai people, not for you or for me.Nobody is suggesting you "shut up".

I am not sure what to make of your final sentence since it is so sloppily written.However by one interpretation -"some people in real life off the internet might react rather negative" -it seems to be threatening which could have you banned from the forum.I shall give you the benefit of the doubt on this occasion.

I'm glad you are so familar with TV rules, but you forgot two of them when you posted the first message above, so I'll repost them for you:

No flaming of fellow members!

Do not post inflammatory messages on the forum, or any attempt to disrupt discussions to upset its participants. The word, or its derivative, "trolling", is used to describe such messages or the act of posting them.

Thank you for your cooperation.

I will leave it to others to determine who was flaming or trolling.Certainly there was no intent on my part as a careful study of my posts would confirm.You seem to have reacted strongly (let's take a wild guess why!!) to my use of the admittedly colourful expression "visa runners, barflies and frazzled old coots".This is a fairly accurate description of a vocal and I think minority section of this forum but I will be more circumspect next time.

Yes indeed...

Thank you for your cooperation.

is certainly indicative of "reacted strongly"....

Just hoping the message got through, although from your apology, that isn't very clear.

Anyway, I hope you have a pleasant day.

(Further hoping that isn't too strong of a "reaction" for you, either.)

[Jai Dee]

... I will be more circumspect next time.

Good idea Cassandra.

[ColPyat]

[

I replied, "what laws did he change?" (we have yet to get an answer from the OP.)

Because the OP has to sleep as well. Which he did. And now he got up. Have patience please. The OP has life outside the internet.

The latest change of laws, only one of a long series was done hush hush before the the sale of shin corp, that only enabled him to sell shin corp. Before foreign ownership of Thai telekom businesses was restricted to 25% ownership, he amended the law to 49% permitted. There still area few problems though, as you would have seen the situation with Thai Air Asia, which through the sale of Shin Corp suddenly turned into majority Foreign ownership.

The first amendment i can remember was about 5 years ago, soon after he won the asset concealment case. I can't remember exactly, but it was a change in telekom licensing fees that primarily benefitted shin corps, and lost the government vast amounts in licensing fees.

As to your answer on the drug issue you posted in another thread:

No, it was not a friend of my wife, and i don't know what that has to do with anything. It was a man already shot in the leg, unarmed, who was calmy executed by a police officer with one shot in the head from close range.

And if you prefer to believe police officers, then i would advise you to learn Thai, get to know some officers, and then ask them what happened during the drugwar. You will be surprised how many officers do not agree with what happened in those two months, and are rather open about it. You will also be able to meet officers who took part in the killings and are rather open about it.

There is a wealth of information available about the drugwar murders, you just gotta make the effort and read archived files of newpapers, studies etc.

And yes, i have been at several scenes of those killings just after the shootings, and all of them stunk. Sloppy, or no investigation. Drugs being planted rather openly on victims, conflicting witness accounts to what the police were saying. Disappearance of incriminating evidence.

And no, i do not blame Thaksin for the Tsunami, what i can blame him though is that it took 4 days until the government, army, and police made an appearance in Takua Pa district (including Khao Lak) - the heaviest hit district in Thailand. While Thaksin talked rubbish in the 100Km distant Phuket, only about 200 unequipped local rescue volonteers had to deal with more than 10 000 corpses in Takua Pa. I do blame him as well for still surpressing the true number of dead, which is several times of what is officially admitted . And i know that because i was there in those 4 days clearing up the corpses. Hardly any sleep, barely enough food, knee deep in gore.

Anyhow, please read through this thread:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=59741

[asd]

" Thaksin = Toxin : Master of Evil " ?

[sriracha john]

If he does resign, at least he'll have a nice, big comfortable place to stretch out and relax:

Thaksin's New Abode

Undaunted by political furore, PM has decided he needs new digs. While his political future may be uncertain Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is forging ahead with plans to build a new mansion. Yesterday he and his wife Pojaman went to the Thai Rak Thai Party office to look at house plans.

A party source said the mansion would be built on newly acquired land near the Thailand Cultural Centre. Pojaman bought the 33 rai plot from the Financial Institutions Development Fund for Bt778 million (23.58 million baht per rai).

– The Nation

[dr_Pat_Pong]

33 rai ? Must like a bit of privacy

[sriracha john]

33 rai ? Must like a bit of privacy

That's for the runway to land Air Force One. Nobody has told him he doesn't get to keep it after resigning.

[asd]

It should not be forgotten that the Thaksin administration amended the Telecoms Business Act to increase the limit on foreign ownership of telecommunications companies to 49 per cent and that the change took effect the day the 73.3 billion baht Temasek deal went through.

so " Thaksin.....Get Out! " is the most repeated phrase in Thailand today.

Edited February 21, 2006 by asd

[LaoPo]

If he does resign, at least he'll have a nice, big comfortable place to stretch out and relax:

Thaksin's New Abode

Undaunted by political furore, PM has decided he needs new digs. While his political future may be uncertain Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is forging ahead with plans to build a new mansion. Yesterday he and his wife Pojaman went to the Thai Rak Thai Party office to look at house plans.

A party source said the mansion would be built on newly acquired land near the Thailand Cultural Centre. Pojaman bought the 33 rai plot from the Financial Institutions Development Fund for Bt778 million (23.58 million baht per rai).

– The Nation

is this true? 23.58 Million Baht per Rai?

Is this land maybe on top of a GOLDMINE?

Where the heck is it?

Anybody with a 'Google Earth' image?

LaoPo

[p_brownstone]

If he does resign, at least he'll have a nice, big comfortable place to stretch out and relax:

Thaksin's New Abode

Undaunted by political furore, PM has decided he needs new digs. While his political future may be uncertain Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is forging ahead with plans to build a new mansion. Yesterday he and his wife Pojaman went to the Thai Rak Thai Party office to look at house plans.

A party source said the mansion would be built on newly acquired land near the Thailand Cultural Centre. Pojaman bought the 33 rai plot from the Financial Institutions Development Fund for Bt778 million (23.58 million baht per rai).

– The Nation

is this true? 23.58 Million Baht per Rai?

Is this land maybe on top of a GOLDMINE?

Where the heck is it?

Anybody with a 'Google Earth' image?

LaoPo

It's actually ridiculously cheap - yet another of Thaksin's insider deals.

The price equates to less than Baht 60,000 per Square Wa, I live in a Moo Ban near Pattanakarn Road and land in my village is selling for Baht 40,000 per Square Wa. As a more direct comparison the land on which All Seasons Place was built sold for around Baht 200,000 per Square Wa.

Patrick

[chownah]

Is All Seasons Place a high rise?

[Jai Dee]

Is All Seasons Place a high rise?

All Seasons Place

Watch the intro with your sound turned on...

[ratcatcher]

When he goes, how will he go? Ready for escape.

In an S.U.30 like Vlad ? Putin in the air miles.

Or in an F15 like George? Bush Pilot

[haha]

[

I replied, "what laws did he change?" (we have yet to get an answer from the OP.)

Because the OP has to sleep as well. Which he did. And now he got up. Have patience please. The OP has life outside the internet.

The latest change of laws, only one of a long series was done hush hush before the the sale of shin corp, that only enabled him to sell shin corp. Before foreign ownership of Thai telekom businesses was restricted to 25% ownership, he amended the law to 49% permitted. There still area few problems though, as you would have seen the situation with Thai Air Asia, which through the sale of Shin Corp suddenly turned into majority Foreign ownership.

The first amendment i can remember was about 5 years ago, soon after he won the asset concealment case. I can't remember exactly, but it was a change in telekom licensing fees that primarily benefitted shin corps, and lost the government vast amounts in licensing fees.

As to your answer on the drug issue you posted in another thread:

No, it was not a friend of my wife, and i don't know what that has to do with anything. It was a man already shot in the leg, unarmed, who was calmy executed by a police officer with one shot in the head from close range.

And if you prefer to believe police officers, then i would advise you to learn Thai, get to know some officers, and then ask them what happened during the drugwar. You will be surprised how many officers do not agree with what happened in those two months, and are rather open about it. You will also be able to meet officers who took part in the killings and are rather open about it.

There is a wealth of information available about the drugwar murders, you just gotta make the effort and read archived files of newpapers, studies etc.

And yes, i have been at several scenes of those killings just after the shootings, and all of them stunk. Sloppy, or no investigation. Drugs being planted rather openly on victims, conflicting witness accounts to what the police were saying. Disappearance of incriminating evidence.

And no, i do not blame Thaksin for the Tsunami, what i can blame him though is that it took 4 days until the government, army, and police made an appearance in Takua Pa district (including Khao Lak) - the heaviest hit district in Thailand. While Thaksin talked rubbish in the 100Km distant Phuket, only about 200 unequipped local rescue volonteers had to deal with more than 10 000 corpses in Takua Pa. I do blame him as well for still surpressing the true number of dead, which is several times of what is officially admitted . And i know that because i was there in those 4 days clearing up the corpses. Hardly any sleep, barely enough food, knee deep in gore.

Anyhow, please read through this thread:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=59741

on the subject of the amended laws...

I just read an article in the bangkok post regarding the series of events leading to the the approval of the "changed" laws.

it seems a proposal was presented to the government to increase foreign ownership from 25% to 49%.

the argument used to justify this change was the fact that most large foreign countries have their foreign ownership limits pegged at 49%. so, the proposal was made to set thailand standards with those of other foreign nations.

this proposal was then placed before the house to decide upon. the house took about 2 years to decide in favor of the proposal.

after the house approved it, the proposal was then passed onto to the senate to decide upon. the senate then also approved the proposal. (but the article did not say how long the senate looked at the proposal.)

if these series of events actually occurred as depicted by the bangkok post, then, how can you say thaksin "changed" the laws?

as I see it between the house and the senate, there are over 500 politicians involved in the approval process.

many of those politicians are not even TRT.

to make an accusation like that "general" did about thaksin "changing" the laws. well, it was basically slander. call it a lie - if you will.

[ColPyat]

to make an accusation like that "general" did about thaksin "changing" the laws. well, it was basically slander. call it a lie - if you will.

I did actually spent a bit of time and thought into my posts hoping that you would afford me the same respect. I get more intelligent and informed respones when i have a chat with my dogs.

I am not anymore willing to keep engaging into this one-way conversation.

A hint: when people hold a discussion they do respond to the points the opponent brings up, and not just repeat their own points while completely ignoring the other's.

Thanks for wasting my time.

[thedude]

If he does resign, at least he'll have a nice, big comfortable place to stretch out and relax:

Thaksin's New Abode

Undaunted by political furore, PM has decided he needs new digs. While his political future may be uncertain Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is forging ahead with plans to build a new mansion. Yesterday he and his wife Pojaman went to the Thai Rak Thai Party office to look at house plans.

A party source said the mansion would be built on newly acquired land near the Thailand Cultural Centre. Pojaman bought the 33 rai plot from the Financial Institutions Development Fund for Bt778 million (23.58 million baht per rai).

– The Nation

is this true? 23.58 Million Baht per Rai?

Is this land maybe on top of a GOLDMINE?

Where the heck is it?

Anybody with a 'Google Earth' image?

LaoPo

It's actually ridiculously cheap - yet another of Thaksin's insider deals.

The price equates to less than Baht 60,000 per Square Wa, I live in a Moo Ban near Pattanakarn Road and land in my village is selling for Baht 40,000 per Square Wa. As a more direct comparison the land on which All Seasons Place was built sold for around Baht 200,000 per Square Wa.

Patrick

the 33 rai in question was put up for tender in 2003.

its located around ratchadapisek, not exactly a snobby district like sathorn, or even sukhumvit.

there were a few public companies in the running for the tender.

the winning price paid by Thaksin's wife was considered to be on the high side at the time by industry people.

[haha]

to make an accusation like that "general" did about thaksin "changing" the laws. well, it was basically slander. call it a lie - if you will.

I did actually spent a bit of time and thought into my posts hoping that you would afford me the same respect. I get more intelligent and informed respones when i have a chat with my dogs.

I am not anymore willing to keep engaging into this one-way conversation.

A hint: when people hold a discussion they do respond to the points the opponent brings up, and not just repeat their own points while completely ignoring the other's.

Thanks for wasting my time.

you don't like to hear the truth, right?